Corrugated wall structure



Nov. 17, 1931. A. E. SMALL CORRUGATED WALL STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 13, 1950 R9 E97 E96 E910 Invemon HriharE 5122211 I MM Patented Nov. 17, 1931 ARTHUR n. SMALL, or onroneo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO UNION METAL rnonoors' rarer} oFFICE COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 013 DELAWARE CORRUGATED WALL" STRUCTURE Application filed October 13, 1930. Serial No. 488,291.

My invention relates to the construction of railway cars, and more particularly to metal end structures or walls for railway cars madeor" one or more metallic plates or panels formed with integral reinforcing, stiffening and bracing embossments or corrugations. However, this device may be incorporated in the construction of car side walls, floors, roots, or doors used in connection with railway cars of various types.

An object of the invention is to produce a strong metallic wall which istoo large to economically be made of a single plate and to strengthen such wall by forming therein a plurality of contiguous substantially parallel corrugations or embossments, an furthermore, to produce a wall having equal strength per linear measurement transverse to the corrugations; that is, after the plates are united, a cross section through them presents a plurality of contiguous corrugations of equal width and ofequal depth. This accomplish by forming each plate (twoor more) with a plurality of contiguous equal width and equal depth corrugations and arranging a corrugation in each plate so that the margin of such corrugation is at the edge I of the plate and butt welding the plates together. If the margins of the plates have been drawn in or deformed by the corrugating process they are sheared to a straight edge at the desired place before welding.

Another object is to save the expense of the usual riveted lap joint which involves the 7 extra material for lapping the plates, the

punching of the rivet holes, the material of the rivets, as well as the labor of riveting.

It is common knowledge and practice to produce a very strong and relatively light wall by forming a plurality of parallel sinuous corrugations in a relatively thin metallic plate, but there is an economic limit in the width and length of such steel plates beyond which they cannot be obtained at prices which justify their use for such purposes. For instance, such corrugated plates are quite generally used as end walls for railway box cars, which walls are approximately nine feet square and six feet is about the widest plate that can be obtained without paying prohibitive extra prices to the comparative few mill owners who can roll'such plates, which alsomeans delayin delivery. It'is customary, therefore, to form such end walls for railway :bOX cars by separately corrugating two or more metallic plates and lapping the ad jacent margins of the plates about three inches and securing them together by five i spaced further apart than the corrugations. d. n the remainder of the plates, which results 111 a relative weak spot in the end wall be-' cause the strength of the corrugated plate per linear measurement transverse of the car is less atthe lap joint than elsewhere. In actual figures, as commercially used today, most of the corrugations in the end wall are spaced 7 on six inch centers, whereas, the corrugations on opposite sides of the seamare spaced on nine inch centers. This three inch lap cannot be reduced because the distance of the rivet from the edge of the plate, thethickness of' the plate and the size of the rivet are all in,

accordance with known and established engineering standards. In the drawings: J Fig. 1 shows two corrugated plates already sheared andready for welding.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. i

V Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the same two. plates welded together.

=Fi'g. 4 is a similarsectlon through similar plates wherein theplates are formed with alternate corrugations projecting in opposite directions from the original plane of the plate. 1

Fig. 5 shows the two plates of Fig. welded together.

Fig. 6 shows two corrugated plates formed with my improved divided corrugations as disclosed and clalmed 1n my Patent No,

1,681,811 of August 21, 1928, which plates are sheared and ready for welding. I

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 6. 8 is a section on line 8 8 of Fig. 6;

2 united plates thereby forming a wall of Figs. 9 and 10 are sections similar to 7 and 8 respectively showing the same two plates welded together.

Figs. 1 and2 show a pair of metallic plates 2 and 3, each formed with a plurality of parallel contiguous corrugations a of equal width 5 and equal depth 6 and spaced apart distances 7 substantially equal to their respective widths 5. Each of these plates is sheared on one edge 10 on preferably a straight line parallel to the edge corrugation 11 of each plate at a distance 12 from such corrugations substantially half of the distance 5 between the other corrugations.

Fig. 3 shows how these plates are butt welded at 15- so that the distance 16 between the corrugations 11 11 adjacent such butt weld is substantially equal to the distance 7 between the other corrugations and the equal strength per linear measurement transverseto the corrugations. When a load is imposed upon one of the corrugations in such a corrugated plate in a direction transverse to the plane of the plate, such load is partiallytransferred to the adjacent corrugations, therefore, it is essential that the corrugations be contiguous. It is also essential that the wallbe of equal strength per linear measurement transverse to the'corrugations because it there is any weak place in the-wall it would deflect at such place.

Fig. a shows a pair of plates wherein the corrugations 20 are pressed partially inwardly and partially outwardly from the original plane 21 of the plate, and Fig. 5 shows how these two plates are butt welded together at 22 to form a wall having a plurality of contiguous corrugations.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form wherein a pair of plates -31 is provided with a p1urality of divided corrugations, as disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 1,729,313 of September 2 1, 1929. These plates are t'ormed with a plurality of parallel contiguous corrugations 33 spaced apart distances 3% substantially equal to their width 35 adjacent the middle of the plate, as shown in Fig. 7. Thesejcorrugations are divided adjacent their opposite ends into a plurality of a greater number of shallower contiguous corrugations 37, as shownin Fig. 8. The respective plates are sheared at one edge 38 of each plate preferably on a straight line "substantially parallel to the axes of these diis to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of providing awall by forming each of two plates with a plurality of substantially parallel corrugations spaced equi-distant apart and then welding said plates together substantially midway between two of the corrugations.

2. The method of forming a wall of two corrugated plates wherein each plate is provided with a plurality of substantially parallel corrugations spaced equi-distant apart, by first corrugatin the plates separately; secondly, shearing one edge of each plate parallel to the cage corrugation of each plate and at a distance from said corrugation substantially half of the distance between the other corrugations, and thirdly, butt welding the sheared edges of the plate together.

A wall comprising two plates welded together, each formed with substantially parallel corrugations, the distance between the two corrugations adjacent the weld being substantially the same as the distance between the other corrugations in the two plates.

l. In a corrugated metallic plate wall, the method of producing a wall of uniform strength per linear measurement transverse to the corrugations when the wall comprises two plates by forming each plate with contiguous equal width and equal depth corrugations with the margin of one corrugation in each plate at the edge of such plate and butt welding said plates together whereby a cross section of the united plates presents a plurality of contiguous corrugations of equal width and of equal depth.

ARTHUR E. SMALL. 

